


The Trickster's Bodyguard

by Liquified_Organs



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Betrayal, Brainwashing, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Gen, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26163670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liquified_Organs/pseuds/Liquified_Organs
Summary: What if Loki had brainwashed Steve Rogers?
Relationships: Alexander Pierce & Brock Rumlow, Bruce Banner & Clint Barton & Phil Coulson & Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark & Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Avengers Team, Loki & Steve Rogers, Nick Fury & Avengers Team
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	The Trickster's Bodyguard

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this entire thing was based on a massive misunderstanding of a Tumblr post about Chris Evans's role as Loki. I hadn't actually seen any movies with Loki in it at the time, but I understood that at some point, Loki had the power to make people succumb to his whim. When I saw that Chris Evans played Loki at some point, I assumed it was part of the plot of the 2012 Avengers movie. I basically spent the entire movie waiting for the movie to reveal the fact that Loki was disguised as Steve Rogers. It didn't happen, so I decided to make it happen myself.

I'm not the only one who's out of time." Steve threw his shield at Loki. The god quickly dodged and let the shield hit the building behind him.

Steve snarled and lunged at Loki, tackling his waist and grappling him into a chokehold. "I thought you would've been stronger, to be honest." He grinned and tightened his grip. 

Loki cackled. "God of trickery, remember?" He reached back and slipped the blade of the scepter between their bodies. Steve gasped and shuddered as a cold wave of energy washed through him. Faintly, he could hear rock music and jet engines blaring above him. "What..." he panted. "What did you..."

"Hey, Cap?" A red-and-gold robot clanked up to them. "Everything okay?"

I think he bruised a rib." Steve winced as his chest began to ache. "You're Tony Stark?"

"Yep." Tony locked Loki in shackles and helped Steve up. "Your new best friend."

"Right." Steve smirked at Stark and straightened his uniform. "Absolute besties."

Loki groaned at their feet, and Steve felt his entire body surge to help him up. "Come on. Up you go."

"Thank you," Loki muttered.

"Yeah, yeah." Steve yanked the scepter out of his grip. As he did, he felt his mind go blank.

_That feels better, doesn't it? To be completely free of awareness. No need to think, no need to be ruled by conflict. This is all I want._

"Shit," Steve muttered before everything went black.

\---

"Nick's really going to try it." Alexander watched Fury and the World Security Council argue. "The Avengers. God, they're a mess."

"Yes, sir." Rumlow stood at parade rest next to him. "Should I get the panic room ready?"

"Good idea. And get the asset ready for combat usage."

"Sir? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Rumlow raised an eyebrow. "He needs a few day's notice before combat."

"He's managed with less." Alexander frowned down at Rumlow. "You have your orders."

"Yes, sir."

\---

"You're hacking SHIELD's files," Steve cocked an eyebrow, "And you're just telling everyone that's bothering to listen?"

"I never went to spy school like Miss Rushman. Forgive me for my lack of subtlety." Tony smirked. "Bruce, you got the satellite scanners ready?"

"They're already scanning." Bruce stuck two thumbs up.

"Why gamma radiation?" Steve leaned over the table to watch Bruce work. "Was it just the easiest solution?"

Bruce huffed. "No. It was just the only one that actually fit the algorithm. I'd explain it to you, but-"

"I'm a dumb jock," Steve finished with a good-natured smile. "Got it."

Bruce chuckled. "You seem pretty self-aware."

"You don't know half of it." Steve grinned and left the lab. "I'll let you two get back to work."

After shutting the door, Steve let the smile slide from his face and glanced down the corridor. Alerting Barton should be easy if none of the shipmates meddle.

\---

Steve watched Coulson march up to the door, gun in hand. "Agent Coulson, are you sure-"

"It's now or never, Captain Rogers." Coulson hefted the gun.

Steve pressed the alarm in his pocket. "Right you are," he admitted. "Shall we?"

"My pleasure." Coulson stormed into the room.

Loki spun around and smiled. "Agent Coulson."

"Loki." Coulson aimed the gun. "Release your brother."

"No, I don't think I will." Loki idly waved his hand at Thor, who shouted and smacked the glass. "I mean, look at him. He's a danger to himself."

"And you aren't?"

Loki grinned. "I'm a danger to more than myself." He glanced at Steve, signaling at Steve to move into action.

Steve slung his arm around Coulson's neck to put him in a chokehold. Coulson gasped and dropped the gun. "Captain Rogers-"

"Oh, don't bother." Loki laughed. "He's no one anymore. Just like Barton."

"The scepter," Coulson realized. "He's brainwashed." Steve tightened his hold.

"You're the first agent on this ship with any amount of intelligence," Loki observed. "Congratulations."

"I don't know, sir." Steve grunted as Coulson struggled. "Romanoff seems fairly competent."

"I'm flattered." Romanoff appeared behind Loki. "Barton's been taken out. Wanna take a guess at who's next?"

"I won't stand still long enough to let you catch me." Steve spun and smashed Coulson's head against the wall with a wet crunch. Thor shouted as Natasha flinched. Loki grinned. "Good work, Captain. Shall we go?"

Steve mock-bowed. "You first."

\---

"Oh, look at that." Alexander watched Rogers bash agent Coulson's head in. "Who'd have thought?"

The asset stood like a statue next to him. Alexander chuckled. "I doubt you remember him."

A young technician cleared his throat. "Sir, I wouldn't recommend showing him familiar faces while he's still just out of cryo-"

"Oh, shut up. He doesn't remember." Alexander waved at them. "Do you recognize him?"

"Negative." The asset's voice was low and gravelly.

"Good. Let's keep watching, shall we?"

\---

"He's a traitor." Tony watched the footage of Coulson's death.

"He's been brainwashed." Natasha placed a hand on his shoulder. "So was Barton."

"I _trusted_ him," Tony growled. "Dammit. You thought I would've learned."

Bruce shook his head. "It's not your fault, Tony. He fooled all of us."

"Yeah, yeah." Tony placed his head in his hands. "Dammit. What now? What happens after all of this?"

"We fight." Fury scowled. "We fight to free Rogers, and to Avenge Coulson. It's what they would've wanted."

\---

"Is that a fucking _space centipede?"_ Barton's jaw dropped as the aliens flew from the wormhole. "Oh god, we're so fucked."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Tony scoffed and readied his blasters. "Mister Thor, do you mind blasting anything coming from the wormhole? The rest of us can figure out their plan of attack. Sound good?"

"Fantastic," Natasha muttered. "How are we going to get to Rogers?"

"I can help with that." A man with a mask and goggles marched through the rubble.

Natasha paled. "Winter Soldier."

"Oh, shit." Barton nocked an arrow. "Oh, we are screwed."

"Why are you here?" Natasha demanded.

"My mission is to help civilians and assist the Avengers." The man's voice was muffled from behind the mask.

"Okay." Tony blinked. "Okay. Well, Winter, you go to Rogers and hit him really hard on the head. Don't kill him, though. Kill Loki."

"Affirmative." Winter nodded before running into the rubble and disappearing.

\---

Steve and Loki watched the chaos below.

"They're like ants," Loki observed. "I've said that before, but I wasn't really thinking about it. But they are. Just... gooier."

"Interesting observation," Steve remarked. "In all my years no one's ever thought about it that way."

"In all your years?" Loki inquired. "How old are you, Captain?"

"My body's aged 28 years. But it's been 95 years since I was born."

"Practically a baby," Loki hummed and turned back to the window. "Although I'm not much older myself. A mere teenager."

"Teenager?" Steve cocked an eyebrow. "You've been around since the middle ages."

"We age much slower than midgardians."

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a dark shape slamming against the window.

"What in the hell?" Loki jumped back.

"I've never seen it before." Steve slid the shield onto his arm. "Should I kill it?"

"No. See what it wants first." Loki regained his composure.

"Hmph." Steve waited for the shape to make it to the platform and march in.

The shape- the man, apparently- was faster than Steve expected. And graceful.

"Do you need something?" Loki tossed his scepter from hand to hand. "Because we have a really tight schedule, and-"

The man pulled out a knife and lunged at Loki. Steve grabbed him around the waist and tossed him away. "Didn't I say to kill him?"

"Oh, shut up." Loki glowered. "What is he?"

"He appears to be human. Probably enhanced." Steve growled and leapt just as the man freed himself from the rubble. "I can take care of him. You get out of here."

"Agreed." Loki scrambled outside to fetch a chitauri.

Meanwhile, Steve was trapped in knife-to-shield combat with the warrior. He was excellent. He never telegraphed his moves, always matched Steve move-for-move perfectly.

Steve snarled and slammed his shield into the man's face. With a crack, the goggles fell off to reveal sharp grey eyes. The man's eyebrows furrowed, and he thrusted his hips up to throw Steve off.

It worked- barely. Steve moved to his feet just in time to save his face from the man's fist. His hand reflexively moved to guard his stomach from the knife aiming for it. The man kicked the back of Steve's knees with a spin, sending Steve to the floor again. Steve threw his shield blindly, and judging by the grunt from a foot away, accurately.

Steve grinned victoriously and pushed himself up quickly, tackling the man.

The man squirmed and struggled, but Steve wrapped a thigh around the man's neck and pinned his mismatched hands above his head. With the angle he was at, he could stare directly into the man's face.

"Bucky?" Steve whispered.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" The man snarled and yanked at his hands.

"Sorry, is this a private moment?" Tony landed a few feet away. "Sorry for intruding, Cap. You know how it is."

 _"Fuck,"_ Steve groaned. "Stark-"

"This isn't you, Cap." Tony held out his hands. "We can help you."

"No one can help me." Steve grunted as Bucky's struggles increased twofold.

"I'm sorry, Cap." Tony curled his hand into a fist and slammed it into Steve's head.

\---

_"Come on, Stevie!" Bucky laughed as Steve struggled to keep up. "Come on, we can't be last in line!"_

_"We won't be in line if I cough my lungs out," Steve wheezed as he caught up to Bucky. "We can wait a few minutes for a roller coaster."_

_"Aw, come on," Bucky laughed. "Have some fun, Stevie!"_

_"Yeah, yeah." Steve kicked Bucky's knee. "Jerk."_

_"Punk." Bucky pulled Steve into a hug._

"-sure he'll recover? Stark might not know his own strength-"

"I know what it takes to knock out a super soldier, thanks," came Tony's dry response. "What about you? Don't you have some... doctor-y things to do?"

Steve groaned softly, unable to ignore the pain in his head anymore. At once, several people crowded his bedside. Tony was the first, still in his metal suit. "Hey, Cap. You alright?"

"Bucky," Steve said softly, "where is he?"

"We don't know for sure if it's really him, Cap."

"It is," Steve insisted. "It's him, Tony."

"Steve," Natasha intervened. "If this is him, he needs to be contained. He's been responsible for a lot of deaths."

"He saved my life. Please. I need to see him."

Tony hesitated, then sighed. "He's being briefed in the meeting room."

\---

Steve burst into the room as Bucky was just getting up to leave. Rumlow stared at him. "Cap?"

"Give us a second." Steve grabbed Bucky by the arm and dragged him into the hall. "Bucky, it's Steve. Do you know me?"

Bucky stared at him. "I. I've seen you before. A previous mission?"

"We were best friends," Steve told him. "During the war."

"The war...?" Bucky's eyes became unfocused. "Which one?"

"World War two. You were a sniper, you saved my life." Steve glanced down. "I didn't always look like this. I was smaller before."

Bucky blinked. "Steve."

"Yeah, Buck?"

"I don't remember you." As Steve's face fell, he scrambled to finish. "But I know you from somewhere." Bucky traced the arch of Steve's eyebrow. "I want to remember."

Steve smiled.

\---

"Loki will face justice on Asgard." Thor sat at the rickety table with the rest of the team. "Beyond that, I'm unsure if there's anything more I can do for you."

"HYDRA," Bucky croaked. Everyone turned to look at him. Steve's face went paler than usual. "Buck? Did you remember something?"

"My handlers, the man you took me from," Bucky took a sip of his tea, "they were HYDRA."

After a moment of silence, Clint spoke. “I guess we have a new job to do, then.”

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> this was probably not super well-written, so if you have any ideas for making this fic better, it would be beyond cool of y'all to leave comments & suggestions! :)


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